The United States along with the rest of the world’s democratic nations have banded together to condemn the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and to offer whatever assistance we can.
Students and faculty at Keene State have found their own way to raise funds for Ukrainians. On Tuesday, the KSC Department of Art and Design hosted their Letters to Ukraine event, where students from any major could come and create original postcards.
Senior Riley Young, who is majoring in studio art, was the student in charge of organizing the event. “It was Emily Lambert’s idea,” Young said. Lambert is a member of the art and design faculty who teaches painting. “She brought it to our senior seminar class and I was like, “oh, I want to be a part of that.”
Young worked with Lambert and Lynn Richardson, another member of the art and design faculty, to work alongside two local high schools and other local artists outside the school system. “I started emailing high schools and other schools and various artists around the area, and it just kind of grew from there,” Young said. “The Converse School district is involved, as is Keene High.”
The organizers of the event chose to create postcards for the event because they would be appealing to artists and non-artists alike. “It’s a small size and it’s accessible for people who are non-majors and majors. It’s something quick to do,” Young said.
The postcards will be sold at a reception on March 31 and all proceeds will be donated to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to help with their humanitarian work in Ukraine.
The ICRC aims to provide access to food and clean water and to provide safe living conditions for those displaced by the fighting, according to the organization’s website. Young picked the organization based on the recommendation of a member of the KSC faculty. “I talked with John Sturtz in the Holocaust and Genocide Studies department, and he was like, here’s a list of really reputable charities.”
The reception to browse and purchase the postcards will be held on Thursday, March 31 at the Carroll House Art Gallery from 4-6 p.m. Each original piece of artwork will be sold for $20.
Emily Lambert and Lynn Richardson did not respond to The Equinox’s request to comment.
Gabe Schatz can be contacted at
gschatz@kscequinox.com
